Everything in Lorna’s life runs like clockwork, from her 6 a.m. morning run to the strict 60-minute counselling sessions she gives. It’s the only way she can deal with the terrible secret she carries.

When a new client arrives for his first appointment, Lorna feels her perfect life unravel in a matter of seconds. It’s Andrew, the man she’s spent the last year desperately trying to forget. It seems he can’t forget her either…

Against her better judgement she anonymously contacts him on a dating site. Messaging him could mean the end of her marriage and her career, but she needs to know if his motives are genuine.

When Andrew is found dead in his home, grief quickly turns to fear when messages from him continue to arrive on Lorna’s phone. Somebody knows her secret and wants to use it to destroy everything she has.

Will she risk her family and her sanity to keep her secret? Will she risk her life…?

If you love twisty psychological thrillers that get under your skin, like The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go or anything by Louise Jensen, you’ll be utterly blown away by the jaw-dropping lies in Tell Me a Secret.

Let me tell you a little secret……… just a tiny, tiny little secret, you know the kind you want to whisper but there’s no chance in hell….. I want to scream and shout this tiny little secret, well here goes nothing I feel it building, the tension, the suspense is killing me……….

Be Careful Who You Trust……

Tell Me A Secret is a MUST

Tell Me A Secret by Samantha Hayes is her new psychological thriller and damn its amazing.

Lorna is a therapist running her life will almost military precision, married with 2 children, Lorna risks it all for a man, Andrew, how far will Lorna go. After the initial contact, Andrew is found dead but the messages keep on coming, someone knows, now fear is driving Lorna, can she keep her secret or will the truth come out.

Lorna is a love or loathe type of character, I never really knew which way to jump on this one, so I would say I’m on the fence on Lorna’s persona. I mean that in a way not to devalue Lorna as a character, as it was difficult judge her because of her infidelity then because of the fear of danger to life, but I can say that Samantha painted a great picture of Lorna either way you fall.

Tell Me A Secret has a meandering plot, Samantha takes us on a very twisty journey, up through some tasty secrets, the production of lies from the secrets, the dips and delves. The pieces slotting in slowly, but all the while Samantha thrusts a hurdle in front of your mind and the plot is blown out right from the final pages.

All the while Samantha wants to Tell me A Secret…….

Thanks go to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and Noelle Holten for the advanced readers copy of Tell Me A Secret in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion, its a been a blast. Thanks Noelle for the spot on the Blog Tour x

Author Bio

Samantha Hayes grew up in Warwickshire, left school at sixteen, avoided university and took jobs ranging from private detective to barmaid to fruit picker and factory worker. She lived on a kibbutz, and spent time living in Australia and the USA, before finally becoming a crime-writer.

Her writing career began when she won a short story competition in 2003 and her ninth novel, THE REUNION, was published in February 2018. Her novels are family-based psychological thrillers, with the emphasis being on ‘real life fiction’. She focuses on current issues and sets out to make her readers ask, ‘What if this happened to me or my family?’

REALLY, OMG REALLY Carol the intensity of carol’s writing has really done a number on me this time, an insatiable obsession has developed the more I read about DI Robyn Carter and my desire to have more is out of control.

Book Synopsis

The Chosen Ones: A completely gripping murder mystery thriller with unputdownable suspense (Detective Robyn Carter Book 5)
On a hot summer’s morning, a young father is found murdered in a cornfield, outside the quiet town of Colton. Tied to a post, arms spread wide; Detective Robyn Carter is reminded of the crucifixion, and she knows she’s looking for a killer with a twisted sense of right and wrong.

The victim’s girlfriend is devastated, unable to fathom how she will tell her sick little boy. Still reeling from her own loss, Robyn vows she will find the killer – no matter what.

But then a local doctor – a popular woman with a young family of her own – is found dead outside her surgery. There are similarities between her and the first body and Robyn must take another look at the picture-postcard town, where no one has any enemies.

Can Robyn untangle the hidden web of secrets, lies, and smouldering grudges, at the heart of this close-knit community, before another life is lost?

An absolutely unputdownable thriller that will keep you reading into the night. If you love Angela Marsons, James Patterson or Tess Gerritsen, The Chosen Ones will have you hooked.

Come on what you waiting for grab your kindle and download, download, download……..

Its a massive party time, whoop whoop its Carol Wyre’s Publication Day for her newest book in the Detective Robyn Carter series #5 and am I disappointed not a chance, in fact I’m literally doing summersaults at the prospect that others are going to get their hands on The Chosen Ones today.

Okay, okay enough of my silly nonsense, you’d think I loved the Carter Series or something hahahaha, time to get back on track and down to the serious stuff.

First and foremost Happy Publication Day, Carol Wyer has really come out the box with Book 5 The Chosen Ones, I have cried, laughed and nearly lost the plot with the insane dramatics in The Chosen Ones, and boy was it worth it.

Detective Robyn Carter is thrown back into furore when a case comes up involving a young father who is found in a cornfield, all the hallmarks remind Robyn of a past case the crucifixion of another victim, a sick, dark minded killer is roaming this small village, their not finished yet, what message are they trying to divulge. As the pages turn we learn of the death of a local village doctor, what’s the connection, is there one, or is Robyn looking in all the wrong places, Carter and her team show spark, determination amidst all the gruesome findings, tackling all that is thrown at them, undaunted by the task ahead.

Will Carter be able to prevent more deaths and join the dots, piece the puzzle together and stop this psychopathic serial killer dead in their tracks, only the turning of the pages will tell.

Is there ever a possibility that you could feel a bit of empathy for a vulnerable human, even though they have committed heinous acts that have decimated another. As we get to know the killer and how there mind works, its hard not to give a tiny piece of empathy away, until that moment you snatch it all back due to scene that you can’t commit your mind to, the possibilities are endless.

Robyn faces another dilemma that unfolds and creates a gravitational pull in such a way that we don’t know if we should follow her down the path or wait at the top of the hill until its safe. The questions, the answers, the discoveries, what about Davies, some questions are answered but is there more scope for insider information, will Carol tell us more in Book 6 or tell all.

I’m truly honoured to have been part of the review team of Carols new book, I can’t praise The Chosen Ones highly enough. I’m in a special place when I read Carols books, I mean who wouldn’t be after surging on through page after page of The Chosen Ones with a gasp, then an air of austerity when the final page has run through your mind and the realisation, its over and now you have to wait……….

The Chosen Ones slides a web of suspense through every fired-up synapse, engulfing your imagination with explosive intent.

Would love to say a huge thanks to Bookouture, Carol Wyer and Kim Nash for the advanced readers copy of The Chosen Ones to read, sharing my unbiased and honest review on opening day of The Chosen Ones Blog Tour. Thanks Kim for my place, forever indebted xx

Congratulations Carol Whoop Whoop

Well looky here a new Author Piccy of Carol, she certainly looks as though she’s enjoying herself, right lets crack on with the Author Bio and see what Carol’s been up too.

Author Bio

Carol E. Wyer, who also writes as Carol Wyer, is an award-winning author whose humorous books take a light-hearted look at getting older and encourage others to age disgracefully. In 2017 she moved to the “dark side” and embarked on a series of thrillers. The first, gripping Little Girl Lost, shot to the #2 best-selling spot on Kindle #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible, and was also a USA Today top 150 best-seller.

Her book, Grumpy Old Menopause won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

Aaaah a lovely new series to sink my teeth into, just love it when that happens. The feeling of apprehension while shadowing two new characters, wondering what they will get up to, will they catch the criminals and most of all will they like each, nothing like a bit chalk and cheese though xx

‘The woman’s body lay on the bed, hair fanned out in a golden halo, blue eyes open. On the table stood an unmistakable sign: a bouquet of bright yellow roses…’

On a freezing January morning, a young couple is found dead in their cottage in the quiet Dublin suburbs. When Detective Eli Quinn arrives at the scene his stomach drops. It’s the second double homicide in as many months where the killer has left a bunch of yellow roses.

Tucked between the thorns is a little card, with an image of a broken heart. There’s no doubt the killer is trying to send a message, but what do the flowers mean? And can Eli figure out the killer’s motive, before they strike again?

Utterly gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this serial killer thriller will keep you up reading all night. If you love Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney, you won’t be able to put this down.

Now I mean really where have all these writers been hiding, lurking in dark corners waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce, well in my case I think that’s where Arlene Hunt has been. She certainly stuck it too me with Last Goodbye, a fantastic opener to the Detective Series surrounding Eli Quinn and Roxy Malloy. A douzy of a thriller with a whole load of criminal intent.

As you can see above I have a penchant for Arlene’s new series, lets see why…….

From the get go Arlene had me, the opener, that first chapter, I mean really when someone writes in that kind of style you know something bad is going to happen and inevitably it does. Holy moly it did, it hit me square in the face like a bolt of lightning and from then on in I knew this book would control my waking hours.

DS Malloy has only been a DS for a short while, a 6 month probationary period hanging over her head, she wants nothing better than to make it, show her worth, Roxy’s opportunity arises in the shape of her first homicide. Roxy has a side kick Cora who is totally different to Roxy, a chalk and cheese partnership. The case that Roxy and Cora become part of looks likely to be linked to two double murders under investigation by Detective Quinn, under duress Roxy and Cora join Quinn’s team, the friction between the two becomes palpable at times but eventually the ice thaws and he can see promise in Roxy, even if they both tackle the investigation in different ways.

The more the story unfolds the more we discover about the mind of the killer, his reasoning behind his need to kill, the women he kills and the ramifications of killing the women. As we progress to the end of the book at an extraordinary speed I don’t know how many times I wanted to put the brakes, hold back, rewind and take things slower but there was absolutely no chance, the pull and lure becomes too much. The book is done, its over, there is still ample opportunity to expand into future writings about Quinn and Malloy, and boy am I looking forward to it.

Thanks go to Bookouture, Arlene Hunt and Noelle Holten for the advance readers copy of Last Goodbye in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion and I think I did the Last Goodbye justice. Thanks Noelle for allowing me to be part of the Blog tours x

Author Bio

Arlene spent her childhood with ‘my nose buried in a book’. She was a fierce debate-captain in school and her love of language was bound to lead her to writing. Alongside being an author, she writes, edits and reviews briefs for radio.

Arlene is married with one daughter and lives with a crotchety one-eyed cat named Binkley and a German Shepherd named Archer, who is not at all crotchety.

Today its my pleasure to close the Three Secrets by Clare Boyd Blog Tour along with fellow blogger Emma the Little Bookworm. Hope you all had a fab time reading our reviews and hope you all find that you want to rush off and buy Three Secrets…………..you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Robert kisses his wife on the head before heading out to the shop for more wine; he walks up the hill, takes a left across the footbridge and jumps to his death on the busy motorway below.

Two years later, Francesca and her young daughter are leaving London for a fresh start, money is tight and Robert’s mother has found them a little cottage in her village. Francesca is grateful for the help, but why does Robert’s mother want to keep them so close? Does she know about what Francesca did in the hour before Robert’s death?

Soon Francesca begins to suspect there was more to her husband’s death than she realised, that there might be even darker secrets hiding in his past than her own…

The closer gets to uncovering the truth, the more she asks: is her own life in danger now too?

If you couldn’t put down The Girl on the Train or The Couple Next Door, then you will absolutely love this gripping and twisty new psychological thriller.

Three Secrets by Clare Boyd a brand spanking new psychological thriller which have your head spinning with the secrets and lies.

Francesca a widow, her husband Robert committed suicide, leaving her with a young child to bring up on her own. Roberts family The Tennants are somewhat unbalanced, all holding secrets of their own. When Francesca has to move from London due to financial issues, Francesca seems to become embroiled in the Tennant family more than she ever was, a house has been obtained for her to live in with her daughter and she is now under the control of the Tennant family.

The book sets itself out to try and understand the reasons behind Robert’s suicide, the who’s, the why’s and the what’s was the overall hypothesis laid out by Clare. The secrets and lies which every family member held, who was lying, what were the secrets, how am I going to unravel this tangle of knots which contain the answers to who has the key to what was going on in Roberts mind the night he killed himself.

The characters within Three Secrets are flawed in so many ways, Francesca seemingly sweet, innocent but with an inbuilt tough exterior where she wont take any flack from anyone, least of Roberts mother, except when her world starts to crumble around her. Everyone is portrayed as being afraid of the family dynamics with the Tennants, I at some points wanted to launch my kindle through the air at several key areas and shout get a backbone, grow up, you are your own self and what your family are capable of doesn’t define you.

Three Secrets is slow paced book at the beginning, but soon heats up burning your fingertips with desire and knowledge that the secrets are becoming more intense the lies unfolding and the truth is just around the corner, I know it, I feel it, BANG another wallop to the side the head another explosive secret is exposed.

Clare trailed me round the garden and up the garden path, like a maze, for every wrong turn I doubled back, for every secret exposed the sense of euphoria overwhelms me, bringing me closer to the connections, the truth, to the lies and inevitably the end.

Thanks to Clare Boyd, Bookouture and Noelle for the advanced readers copy of Three Secrets in exchange for and honest, unbiased review. Many thanks to Noelle who has put up with me and still lets me participate in her Blog tours xx

Author Bio

Clare lives with her husband and their two daughters in Surrey, where her little green shed at the bottom of the garden provides a haven for her writing life. Before becoming a writer, she enjoyed a career in television, as a researcher in documentaries and then as a script editor in drama at the BBC and Channel Four, where her love of storytelling took hold.

Clare’s debut novel, Little Liar​, is published by Bookouture and is available to buy now.

Well look here its time for a BlogBlast the astounding, darkly delicious book from Shalini Boland, The Millionaire’s Wife, how far would you go to be part of money. A psychological thriller which will turn every hair on end, saturating every nerve ending with sparks of intense fear.

Okay lets take a sneak peak at what Shalini has in store for us.

@bookouture @ShaliniBoland @KimTheBookworm

Synopsis

Everyone has their secrets. But this one could destroy your marriage.

When Anna Blackwell opens an email from an unknown sender, the shocking image attached shatters her perfect world. A woman has been killed. And Anna knows who did it. The past is catching up with her.

Is it her turn next?

To protect herself and her husband Will, she must tell him the terrible truth about her first love. But as the secrets of her life unravel, Anna begins to realise that she is not the only one who has been living a lie.

Anna doesn’t know who to turn to: her best friend, her parents, her husband. But she knows that her ex-lover is dangerous and she must stop him, before it’s too late…

From the bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this utterly unputdownable psychological thriller will have you gasping at every twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.

Okay now we have had a good look at the book description lets get down to the business of a five star review, I mean who wouldn’t, The Millionaire’s Wife deserves this and so much more….

Aaaah I so love a great psychological thriller and The Millionaire’s Wife is no exception. When the pull of fresh book you haven’t read finally sinks in there is no other feeling but of contentment, a deep thrill and the warmth of irrevocably bizarre characters, enveloping your very mind.

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland a plotline surrounding a deranged ex who is determined to undermine everything Anna Blackwell has accomplished. Anna is happily to Will a millionaire and is truly in love but an email from an unknown sender contains a shocking picture which plunges Anna back into the past. Anna finally discovers who has sent it and now her secrets from her past are threatening to unravel and destroy everything she holds dear.

Can Anna tell all before her ex boyfriend takes everything from her, time is not on her side, delaying the inevitable could cost her a great deal of heartache.

Could you ever fall in love with a fictional character, if there was ever a situation this would be it Will, holy moly what a loving, caring, generous man, who has nothing but good intentions at heart. Hope my hubby’s not reading this think he may wonder if I’ve seriously lost the plot, even so when you read about Will I dare you not to think the same.

On the other hand Anna’s ex Fin is to coin a phrase a sandwich short of a picnic basket, that may be terrible terminology but its so hard to describe someone who has delusions of grandeur. Fin is significantly adverse to hard work and his only aim is to gain riches as quickly as possible and by any means, even if that involves a pact he concocted while young and living with Anna, which he believes Anna wholly accepted.

Anna is a different kettle of fish, not someone you would have thought of marrying this down to earth guy, as in her younger years she seemed to be drawn to the bad boys. Now her quiet, uneventful life is going to explode around her and will she lose the man she has fallen madly in love with.

Okay I hope that helps build a picture which you can relate to and will give you the push to go buy Shalini Boland’s The Millionaire’s wife. I’ve read a few of Shalini’s books and she certainly knows how to weave a twisted plot, seemingly innocuous, but that’s the danger Shalini portrays with each word written.

Thanks go to Bookouture, Shalini Boland and Kim Holten for an advanced readers copy of The Millionaire’s Wife in exchange for an honest review and my unbiased opinion.

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

When a gang of six children playing in their den in the woods spot a man burying drugs nearby, it marks the beginning of the end of their childhoods.

Unsure what to do, the children dig up the drugs and take them away. But when the dealer, who they watched bury the stash, shows up dead, the youngsters are thrown into turmoil.

Scared of what might happen, the children tell the police about the body they have discovered.

Meanwhile, a group of gangsters start searching for their missing drugs.

Soon the children and their families become the target of the vicious criminals who will stop at nothing to retrieve their narcotics…

Well Anita Waller has managed to fulfil all my expectations and more in her new book Game players. It utterly amazes me how she can give the sense of shock and horror in one foul swoop, it sends tingles through my spine every time I delve into Anita’s imaginative storylines.

Game Players, 6 children, a stack of buried drugs and a murdered man, the lives of these 6 children is never going to be the same again. After the children decide to hide the drugs, their lives pummel into a uncontrollable spiral, there is danger around every corner, the boss wants his drugs back by any means possible. As the pages unfurl disaster strikes, the families are on tenderhooks, are they safe, can the police keep them safe.

The dynamics of the children reminded me of my childhood where we would all hang out, play games, summer holidays were awesome, just like these kids not a care in the world and feeling safe. But that safety can be shattered in an instant, something you see, hear, do can be your downfall. I felt really sorry for these kids whose split second decision altered there lives and everyone around them but I was also quite proud of their camaraderie when everything became almost unbearable.

My interpretation of the story to me, follows the naivety of the children, the conundrum of being unable to confront their fears and pass the vital information over to the police in case of backlash, but also being in the spotlight of a drug baron who will stop at nothing to get back what is his.

Anita has a written a well proportioned book with the correct balance of fear, darkness, criminality and pieces of familiar family ties which connect the whole storyline together with the awesome WoWness which will drag throughout the pages at full pelt until your reach the penultimate ending.

Anita has blown away the rest in one stroke of her pen with her new exceptional psychological thriller Game Players, even that cover tips me over the edge with the dark creepy woods. Oh the chills just thinking about it……

Thank you to Bloodhound Books, Anita Waller and Sarah Hardy for an advanced readers copy of Game Players in exchange for my honest opinion and unbiased comments for my review on the Blog Tour.

Author Bio

Anita Waller was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1946. She married Dave in 1967 and they have three adult children.

She began writing when she was around 8 years of age, writing ‘compositions’ at junior school that became books with chapters.

In 1995 she sent Beautiful to a publisher and as they reached the contract stage the publisher went into liquidation. As a result, the book was consigned to the attic in dejected disgust but in 2013 it was dragged out again for an enforced complete re-type.

The original was written on an Amstrad 8256 and the only thing that remained was one hard copy.
Anita is not a typist and it was painfully reworked over two years, submitted to Bloodhound Books who, within three days of reading it, offered her a contract. 31 August 2015 saw its release into the wide world.

Following the outstanding success of Beautiful, she began a sequel on 27 December 2015, finishing it on 19 March 2016. The new novel, Angel, was launched on 7 May 2016.
34 Days followed with its launch in October 2016. This was a huge success, particularly in the United States. While this, her third book in the psychological thriller genre, was flying out in all directions, she began work on her fourth book.

Winterscroft was a change in genre. It is a supernatural tale, set in Castleton, Derbyshire, and its release date was February 2017.
While she was writing Winterscroft, it became very clear from reading reviews that a sequel to 34 Days was needed and she began work on that. Bloodhound Books launched Strategy, on 10 August 2017.

Her next book, launched February 2018 and entitled Captor, is a psychological thriller, set exclusively in Sheffield. It was an instant success, both in the UK and the US.
Then along came Game Players… once more set in Sheffield, the story involves a group of six children who have each other’s backs to a remarkable extent. The darker, criminal side of Sheffield is explored, and the book launch is 18 May 2018.

In her life away from the computer in the corner of her kitchen, she is a Sheffield Wednesday supporter with blue blood in her veins! The club was particularly helpful during the writing of 34 Days, as a couple of matches feature in the novel, along with Ross Wallace. Information was needed, and they provided it.

8th Instalment in the Kim Stone Series, don’t think your going to put this book down, take a week off, read in a day, book yourself into therapy for the rest of the week and above all hold on tight your going to be on choppy waters.

When teenager Sadie Winter jumps from the roof of her school, her death is ruled as suicide – a final devastating act from a troubled girl. But then the broken body of a young boy is discovered at the same school and it’s clear to Detective Kim Stone that these deaths are not tragic accidents.

As Kim and her team begin to unravel a dark web of secrets, one of the teachers could hold the key to the truth. Yet just as she is about to break her silence, she is found dead.

With more children’s lives at risk, Kim has to consider the unthinkable – whether a fellow pupil could be responsible for the murders. Investigating the psychology of children that kill brings the detective into contact with her former adversary, Dr Alex Thorne – the sociopath who has made it her life’s work to destroy Kim.

Desperate to catch the killer, Kim finds a link between the recent murders and an initiation prank that happened at the school decades earlier. But saving these innocent lives comes at a cost – and one of Kim’s own might pay the ultimate price.

The utterly addictive new crime thriller from the Number One bestselling author – you will be gripped until the final shocking twist.

On opening Dying Truth I was immediately swallowed whole by the intense scenario which unfolds before my eyes, I was holding my breath trying to fathom out what was happening, from then on the pages flew through my fingers until the penultimate end.

The death of a young girl Sadie Winter, a posh private school an apparent suicide, or is it. The depths the school will go to, to prevent any bad publicity seeping out, the possibility prospective parents will no longer wish their children to attend this high class school.

As the story unfolds another child, a boy is found dead, is it another suicide or is there something else afoot within the walls of this school. Detective Kim Stone delves deep discovering there are links to each death and past events which had been covered up by the school. What is this school holding back, is a pupil or teacher responsible, for the untimely removal of past pupils and the death of others, Kim and her team have there work cut out for them, the pieces of the puzzle seem to trickle through there fingers, barriers block there way, will someone talk, time is running out.

I love, love, love Kim and her team and its been good to read about the return of a well loved character even if it was only briefly, it was well worth it. Every time Angela writes about Kim we find out another piece of her past, her personality, the flaws, the damaged mind. I would love one day to see Kim free from a perpetual circle of torment, but it would probably be a shadow of her former self.

I really don’t know how Angela does it, every book written in the Detective Kim Stone series just gets better and better, setting herself a higher goal the more she writes. Long may Angela write such insatiable books that your hunger for the next is never truly quenched even as it sits in your hands, with that ever unfolding knowledge its over too quick and your hunger rages on.

Over 3 weeks ago I read Dying Truth, that scene is playing over and over in my head, like I just read it yesterday, the overwhelming emotion still feels raw, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Angela has written a true awe inspiring criminal thriller, which will twist your heart from your body only to be snatched back with an earth shattering thud, leaving you breathless, tearful, and surrounded by a cascade of tissues.

Thanks go to Bookouture, Angela Marsons and Kim Nash for an advanced readers copy of Dying Truth in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Author Bio

Angela Marsons is the author of the International Bestselling DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 2 million in 2 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Her last three books – Blood Lines, Dead Souls and Broken Bones – reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone.

She had stopped crying. There was no window, the walls were smooth and it was quiet. She didn’t want to be alone. But she didn’t want him to come back.

On a bright spring morning, walkers find a tattered plastic bag half-buried in the rolling hills of Somerset. Inside lie a collection of bones; human, but too thin and light to be an adult’s.

The bones belong to Rosie Dawson, a little girl who disappeared ten years ago. Detective Anna Gwynne is back at work after a case that nearly cost her life. The trail is stone cold, but Anna will stop at nothing to find the killer, and escape thoughts of her own dark past.

Then another little girl is abducted near a river bank on the hottest day of the year, and her sister can’t remember anything about the man who took her. Nobody thinks the cases are connected, but then Anna finds a photo of her that matches an old one of Rosie. In the same dark room. The same concrete walls. The same stony floor.

The killer is bragging.

With just two photos and a witness too young to help, can Anna find the killer in time to save a little girl’s life?

A heart-pounding thriller that will get right under your skin. If you love Karin Slaughter, Robert Dugoni and Angela Marsons you’ll love this killer crime thriller.

Okay Noelle I know your probably biting your nails by now, wondering what I’m doing. I’ve taken a bit of time over Dylan Young’s newest publication, the review hit me with that sinking feeling of how can I do Blood Runs Cold justice, but here goes nothing I hope everyone enjoys my take on Blood Runs Cold.

Blood Runs Cold, Book #2 of Detective Anna Gwynne series by Dylan Young. By golly am I dancing round the room, Dylan put me through the wringer, emotionally, mentally and physically to the point I literally needed matchsticks to hold my eyelids open, Blood Runs Cold snatched every breath I took, intensifying my need to turn the pages and absorb the narrative in huge chunks.

Detective Anna Gwynne has finally returned to work after some months out recovering from an almost fatal attack in the last case she was involved in. On her first day back Anna dives straight into a cold case concerning Rosie Dawson a child who was kidnapped and brutally murdered and up until recently her body hadn’t been found. A bag of boiled, bleached white bones with all flesh removed, has been uncovered, too small to be an adult, turns out to be Rosie Dawson.

Ten years later and another child has been abducted is it the same person, no obvious clues until Anna finds a picture, the hallmarks are the same, the room, the walls, the black bucket, can Anna and her team connect the clues and save Blair before her fate is sealed.

I love Anna she is such a heart warming but strong individual who doesn’t let anything stand in her way, the only exception is Anna’s perception of the new DS, Dave Woakes, is Anna’s thoughts and feelings towards his overzealous approach to obtaining a conviction by any means possible clouding her judgement of him, or is there something deeper yet to be discovered.

While we are on the subject, DS Dave Woakes in my mind does comes across as being over ambitious, cumulating in a mass of mistakes, the rubbing up the wrong way of potential suspects and victims, the blasé way he tries to tread on Anna and go over her head believing its his way or the highway. Woakes shows a determination that is unsettling and potentially destructive to all involved.

Blood Runs Cold can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading The Silent Girls as its a good insight into what happened to Anna in her previous case and gives a good overall comprehension to who Anna and her team are.

So go grab yourself a copy of Blood Runs Cold, also on my recommendation The Silent Girls is the best place to start. Don’t miss out, Dylan Young has started the most amazing Series surrounding Detective Anna Gwynne, long may Anna continue solving crimes and taking me down into the dark recesses of serial killers minds.

A stylishly dark and an intensely heinous suspenseful thriller which will turn your world upside down, with an emotive plotline driving you deeper and deeper in Dylan’s imagination.

Thanks go to Dylan Young, Noelle Holten and Bookouture for an advanced readers copy of Blood Runs Cold, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review as part of the Blog Blitz today. Come on Dylan role on your next, I don’t know if I can wait patiently hahahaha.

Author Bio

Dylan Young grew up in a mining village in South Wales before boarding a train for university in London. A career in the NHS followed, but the urge to write never went away. Three dark psychological thrillers for Random House emerged in the late nineties, two of which were made into BBC films. Over the last decade, under different pseudonyms, he’s written children’s books and an adult contemporary fantasy series. But his liking for crime (writing) never died. Book 1 in the Detective Anne Gwynne crime thriller series, The Silent Girls, and Book 2, Blood Runs Cold, are available now.

Today would have been my sisters birthday, I wish you a heavenly 48th birthday xx.

NOW

I have sat and pondered for a very long time wondering if I should tell my story, should I let out with I have bottled up inside, 18 months of anxiety, stress and depression. Should I let the people outwith my family hear my story. I have to do this, I hope my family understand that this is my way of coping I feel I need this release to be able to gain a foothold in my life and carry on, even though I’m surrounded by my family I don’t want to be alone any more. No more hiding from what can’t be changed.

THE PAST

Here goes nothing, on the 10th of November 2016, my father phoned at 7.45pm to tell me that 2 Detectives were coming up to see me, my sister had been found dead. The dreaded chap at the door at 8.30pm, my life changed forever, they couldn’t tell me much except that Sharon may have lain dead for sometime. My heart sank and from that point on I had to be the head of the family and take care of my dad and all that came with Sharon’s death.

It became apparent that my younger sister and my niece had some sort of connection to what had happened to Sharon, all the information relayed by the police told us that Lynnette had become the carer for Sharon and all professional carers had been stopped in January of 2016. Sharon’s daughter Shayla had also become part of the package to care for her mother. Sadly this didn’t happen they didn’t care for Sharon instead they assaulted, compressed her neck causing fractures, broke her ribs 19 in total and bludgeoned her with objects or an object unknown. Lynnette and Shayla were taken into custody in December 2016 and questioned, Lynnette was charged with murder and released on bail, Shayla was released on bail pending further enquiries.

This is when I started to Blog about Books, Sweet Little Book Blog was born, a channel for my emotions, a way to hide in plain site. I continue to this day to get involved in Blog Tour/Blitz’s to immerse myself in a different reality where I don’t need to comprehend how my family dynamics have been shattered by the ones you would think to be incapable of such a heinous crime, against another person never mind your own family.

Fast forward 7 months and we finally get the call that we can finally lay my sister Sharon to rest, all the while I have worried, stressed, all about how my father is going to make it through to the court case never mind the funeral. I spend a lot of time trying to cope with my own emotions wondering if I will ever feel happy again, can I stay strong for my dad, I’m all he has left, the pressure and weight of responsibility is phenomenal and I just want to disappear, run away, pretend it never happened but it has and it did.

All through the year of 2017, my sister continued to plead not guilty to 8 charges, including the charge of Murder, finally we get the call to say Shayla, Sharon’s daughter, will also be standing trial for Murder along with her Aunt she has a count of 6 charges. The year 2017 became synonymous with 2016, both had pled Not Guilty to all charges, they never once thought about how it was affecting their father/papa, they believed that they would released of all charges.

Another Christmas goes by, nothing can improve my mood, I had no notion to be part of the festivities, I didn’t see the point it was another year where I had no answers, just a ton more questions.

Finally the trial date is announced for April 2018, 18 months after the Murder of my sister Sharon, still Lynnette and Shayla have continued to plead Not Guilty. My father and I are witnesses for the prosecution and are the first to be called. I’m proud of my dad he managed to hold himself together and get through the day, whereas the fragility of my emotional state came to the forefront while giving my statement. I’m sorry I didn’t stay strong for my dad but the emotion of everything I’ve carried for the last 18 months flooded out and I dissolved into a state that I still carry up to this very day.

Sharon I owe you an apology for not sitting through the whole trial, but I wanted to remember you for what you were, a quiet, mild mannered soul who would do anything for anyone, not the shell of a woman who once was my sister. I did attend closing statements, I listened to all parties, I wept for you once again Sharon.

I wept for what I should have done, I wept for what all the professional bodies should have done, I wept for everyone who knew you, most of all I wept for my dad he has lost everything, 2 daughters and a granddaughter, a family decimated by an act that could have been prevented. All they needed to do was lift the phone and say they couldn’t cope any more, I would have been there, Lynnette, Shayla you didn’t give me that chance, instead I wasn’t good enough, you drove me away all because I wouldn’t conform to what you wanted, I was and still am my own person you will never take that from me, but you took that from Sharon.

Two days and the verdict is past on the 4th of May 2018. Lynnette was found guilty of Murder and assault of Sharon and has been given a life sentence of 23 years to be served fully with no chance of parole before the 23 years, even then parole board may still deny. As for Shayla the jury returned a majority verdict of Not Proven 8 jurors to 7, I’m very disappointed but the evidence wasn’t enough, she may carry on with her life but she will always be in my eyes, the child that was party to the death of her mother. Shayla will never be involved in my families dynamics or be a grandchild to my father.

Maybe one day, the truth will come out and full justice will be served to both that were responsible for the death of my sister Sharon.

OUR FUTURE

18 months have come and gone, but my emotions have not, my physical health has altered and my financial situation has taken a dramatic change, our future is dependant on my ability to go back to work and feel comfortable within myself, but at this moment in time being a home carer is the furthest thing from my mind, I don’t know if I can follow that path any more, only time will tell.

I’m taking the steps to reach out to any organisation who can help me come to terms with what has happened. I can no longer afford to be isolated, I need help to find my future and too make sense of what happened and most of all let go of the intense guilt I feel.

I thank the people that reached out to me because they knew my sister, but to the ones who think I’m worth nothing, who blame my father and I for not being there I have something to say to you, we are not all part of a ‘Perfect Family’, families aren’t always close but I hope and pray this never comes chapping at your door, because believe me it will show who your true friends and family are.

For now I will be off work until I can get my head in the right frame of mind, I will continue with my reading and blogging if my friends in the book community will have me and above all I will stay strong for my dad, he needs me and truth be told I need him.

For now all I ask from people who support me is to give me time, understand that I can’t always control my emotions and I will cry at what seems like nothing to them, let me cry, just be there to hold me.

The main thing is that I can get some rest, some peace all other things will have to wait.

THE FINAL PIECES

I have one final thing to say to my sister Sharon and that is I am still looking for answers, Sharon I’m going to look to find out those answers, someone is accountable, the situation within the household was well documented but someone never looked and accepted the reasons. I want an investigation, Sharon you are owed that much and if I can prevent something similar happening to another family it will be worth the boats that rock.

I will scatter your ashes soon Sharon, I need to find the perfect peaceful place with the brightness that was once you, and I will gather the family that has stood by dad and myself letting you fly free without fear.

The Adulterer’s Wife by Leigh Russell, Leigh has delved into the world of psychological thrillers and grabbed the narrative full force and WoW what a stoater of a read.

The Adulterer’s Wife centres around the death of Julie’s husband Paul, whom the police believe Julie to be the main suspect in his death. Paul was found dead in the marital bed with Julie at his side, unbeknown to her upon waking after a night out with friends she believes he is asleep. What transpires is that Paul is having an affair and Julie doesn’t wish her son to find out until after his exams, as the investigation escalates Julie soon finds out who her friends are. Julie sends her son to his grandparents while she tries to unravel the mysterious death of her husband and clear her name.

Can conviction be avoided, can Julie clear her name, who will stick by Julie, loads of questions needing to be answered and with every turn of the page I came one step closer to finding out. I may have sussed the killer earlier than I expected but there was some damn good twists which still led me a merry little dance.

Leigh wrote The Adulterer’s Wife in a clear and concise manner, allowing me to follow the plotline without becoming over involved in the subtext, leaving me enough to interpret the background and characters, in turn finding discoveries I may have lost out on if the narrative had been over complicated.

The Adulterer’s Wife is not a hard-core psychological thriller with blood guts and gore but an easy read which will enable you to fill your boots with imaginative scenarios and follow the trail of clues scattered throughout the book, to hopefully come to a satisfactory conclusion. Whether you accept your own imaginative answers to who the culprit is anyone’s guess but is that not the way of a psychological thriller, leaving you pondering, rewinding the clues and trying to fathom out where it clicked for you or where you took a wrong turn.

For a first stab at psychological thriller, Leigh has done a damn good job, all that is left for Leigh to do is to go onwards and upwards, I’m sure her next psychological thriller will be bigger and better than the first.

My thanks go to Bloodhound Books, Leigh Russell and Sarah Hardy for the advanced readers copy of The Adulterer’s Wife to read in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Just another thanks to Sarah for allowing me to be part of the Blog Tour for today.

Author Bio

Leigh Russell, author of the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel crime series, has sold well over a million books worldwide.

Her novels have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Turkish. Reaching #1 on Kindle, her books have been selected as Best Fiction Book of the Year by the Miami Examiner, voted Best Crime Fiction Book of the Year in Crime Time, a Top Read on Eurocrime and shortlisted for the John Creasey New Blood CWA Dagger Award, long listed for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, and a finalist for the People’s Book Prize.

Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English. She serves on the board of the Crime Writers Association, chairs the Debut Dagger Judges, and is a Royal Literary Fellow.